


Child At Hearts

by Star_Phoenix



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Daleks - Freeform, De-Aged Doctor, F/M, Family, Feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-29
Updated: 2015-12-10
Packaged: 2018-04-23 21:53:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4893688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Phoenix/pseuds/Star_Phoenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was a normal day for Amy and Rory, until their daughter came around sporting their best friend, who was now six years old. And when they're left to take care of him so River can find a way to reverse the effects, they find that raising a Time Lord is a lot more than they bargained for.</p>
<p>But why is UNIT and Torchwood getting involved? And who is the man with the trench coat who can't die? But better yet, what are they going to do when a Dalek invasion threatens the Earth?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The afternoon was silent, outside and within the house that the Ponds currently lived in. Golden sunlight filtered in through the clear glass of the windows, giving a brighter appearance to the books that laid strewn about the living room. The typing of keys was the only sound the broke the heavy silence as a certain red head worked away on her new blog that depicted adventure and fantasy, along with writing advice. Her husband, on the other hand, entered the house from the back door, brushing off the remains of emerald colored grass the clung to his clothes.

"Garden is weeded into submission and grass is cut clean." Rory chuckled as he left a chaste kiss on his wife's cheek before going to the cupboard to grab a glass. "How's the writing coming along?"

"Boring and dull." Amy sighed, pushing her laptop away as she rested her forehead on the dark wood of the table. "I can't write anything down. There's no words, I have the ideas, but no words. I feel like I'm completely at a loss! What do I do? And all of the people asking me what to do keep asking me the same questions. It is painful, Rory. Painful!"

He smiled small but didn't speak before he downed a glass of cold water. "Hmn? No ideas you say. Why don't we call up The Doctor and see what he can do? Who knows? We could spend Christmas with Charles Dickens and a few ghosts!"

"Solve a murder with Agatha Christie!"

"See London with Conan Doyle!"

Amy clapped her hands together and nodded, red hair flying. "Oh yes! That'd be brilliant! But...there's one problem. We haven't heard from him in weeks. Weeks, Rory! He usually drops us off here for awhile, but never long enough to settle. You don't think he's run into trouble, do you?"

"It's the Doctor, trouble is his middle name...if he has one." Rory chirped off as he glanced out the window to the empty street. "Knowing him, he's probably having tea with every queen in alphabetical order, or better yet, he's stopping an invasion of Earth from twenty years ago."

"Yeah, but I hate being so...so...still." Amy groaned, laying her forehead against the table yet again. "It feels like ages since I've seen anything interesting! And no, the dog riding the skateboard doesn't count. I hope he hasn't forgotten us and just left us."

Rory gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I highly doubt he has. And think about it, it's a quiet day out and who knows? The doorbell may ring any moment and we'll be tossed into another adventure where we save the world."

"Yeah, that sounds nice." Amy laughed into the table. "I'd like that."

And when the familiar sound of the doorbell rang into existence, the two of them jumped up. It was practically a race to the front door, which resulted in Amy climbing over the table before vaulting over the couch and landing in front of her husband. She pulled open the door with a breathless smile, her husband behind her, equally excited. And that's when she found herself staring into a large halo of golden curls.

"River!" She squealed, dragging her daughter into a hug before letting go a few moments later. "Why are you so dirty? And where are your shoes?"

After finish the hug with her father, she chuckled. "Well, you see mummy dear, it's a long story that I will tell you once inside. Oh yes, it does involve my husband so you can tell it's going to be a whopper."

Rory and Amy shared a glance. The Last Centurion finally said slowly, "River, where's The Doctor?"

"It's a long story...but I think it'd be easier if I showed you."

The married couple watched as their daughter turned to reveal a small shape at her side. Their eyes were instantly on the child who had a mop of brown hair and green eyes that seemed to big for his face. They wouldn't have thought anything different from the normal, until they saw a bow tie tied around the child's neck. River flashed a nervous smile and the child only held onto her torn dress tighter. "So?"

And Amy decided to say what everyone in that moment was thinking. "What the hell?"

* * *

 

"So, how exactly did The Doctor end up as a six year old?" Rory sighed once they were all seated in their living room. River looked at her father, smoothing the shirt and sweatpants that belonged to her mother. "I mean, I'd expect him to be an old man before a kid."

River chuckled and glanced at the Time Lord, who was now sitting with Amy and putting a puzzle together. She could tell her mother was listening in on her explanation, so she really didn't have to make sure the attention was on her. "Well, we were on the planet Steryos for a date, but then we ended up being questioned for a recent string of murders that happened there. Apparently, full grown adults would turn be turned into children and not even ten minutes later, they'd vanish. And according to the police, their bodies would turn up in a river a few days later."

"Why were you even questioned in the first place?" Rory asked suddenly.

"We fitted the profile. According to the police, a young human couple was expected to be the murderers due to their placement at all of the places where the people disappeared. After showing them that weren't human and weren't even on planet at the time, they let us go. But when The Doctor decided to investigate, we ended up in the catacombs that ran underground a few miles north. We ended up finding the people who did it, they ended up being Plasmavores."

Rory blinked. "What?"

"Plasmavores eat plasma and then they can recreate it. So, if they eat something human, they become human. Get it?" Rory nodded and she continued. "Anyway, it turns out that they had gotten their hands on a dodgey de-aging machine and by turning the people back into children, they thought they had found the key to eternal youth. The only problem with that was that the plasma from the children ran out too quickly, so they had to keep collecting more."

"And how did The Doctor end up as...that?"

"I'm getting to that." River replied quickly. "The local law enforcement had followed us down too, so when we found the Plasmavores they killed one, but not the other. So, the other one fired the de-aging weapon and due to my husband's good nature, he jumped in front of it. And then, I found myself staring at a very confused six-year-old, who has no memories of the past nine hundred years."

Amy blinked, looking up with wide eyes. "Wait, so you're saying he has no clue of who he is? Who we are?"

River nodded. "I'm afraid so. I did the next best thing I could, I brought him back here. I figured he'd be safe here until I figure out a way to reverse the machine's effects."

"You can't just zap him back?" Rory spoke up.

She shook her head. "De-Aging someone is easier than aging a person. If you make someone younger, they forget everything, but if you try to age them without the necessary measurements, then you could make them too old or not give them back their proper memories. But the problem with The Doctor is, he has over nine hundred years of memories missing and god knows how much regeneration energy he has left. So, the calculations are going to have to be very precise or we could end up with a Time Lord who only had half of his memories...and you really don't want that."

"So," Amy began slowly, "you want us to take care of The Doctor until you can figure out how to age him properly? Doesn't sound too hard. What do you say, Rory?"

"No complaint from me." Rory said with a firm nod. "What about the TARDIS?"

"Currently outside in the yard. It's in an emergency mode, so they only people who can get in is the people who have a key." River said flatly. She glanced at The Doctor as he placed the last piece of the four thousand piece puzzle into place. "And there's also one other thing you should know before I leave."

"What?"

"I told a few of the higher ups at UNIT. If one of them show up, ask for Martha Jones." River said flatly. "And for Torchwood, if a bloke in a long coat called Jack Harkness shows up, then you have the right person. They used to travel with The Doctor years ago, so they're pretty close."

Amy blinked. "How are we supposed to raise a Time Lord exactly? There aren't any books on it, well, no books that I know of."

"The TARDIS will set you up with everything you need. She's very protective of her thief." River pushed the buttons on her Time Vortex Manipulator before standing. "And one more thing before I go, he hasn't said a word to me, so good luck with that."

"River, wait-!" Rory suddenly called but it was too late, their daughter was gone in a flash of white light. Rory's hands dropped into his lap and he let out an exasperated sigh. "Why do they always do that? Pop off before I can say another thing?"

His wife giggled. "Must be a Time Lord thing." She suddenly turned her attention to the child beside her, who was staring at the picture of the waterfall he had finished creating. It was kind of comical seeing the younger version of her friend wearing the exact same thing he always did, but smaller. "So, tell me, what do you want be called?"

He blinked up at her, green eyes an unusually vibrant color. "Koschei and my family call me Theta...so I guess that works."

He suddenly flashed a wide smile and Amy had to smile at the gap between his two front teeth. But when the realization hit them like a freight train, the two shared a glance and came to the silent agreement not to mention anything about his species. Amy patted his mop of brown hair. "I guess that does work."


	2. Chapter 2

The first day had been relatively easy, meaning The Doctor had done little else than sit around, silent as he took in his new surroundings. He had only ever spoken three times, once to Amy and twice to Rory, throughout the course of the first day. But Amy had to admit, by the time the evening of their first day rolled around, she knew she was in way over her head. Especially when she heard a single transaction between her husband and the child,

"You're a human, correct?"

Rory had seemed shocked at the way The Doctor's usually low voice came out squeaky and child-like. He nodded anyway, though. "Yes, yes I am."

"My brother, Brax, says you're really breakable...is that true?"

He didn't receive an answer and after that, Rory found himself unable to look at those large, emerald eyes after that because no matter how hard he tried to get past it, he felt that the child was treating him like one would treat a very breakable vase. It wasn't much later than eleven o'clock before Amy and Rory both showed the child to his room, he blinked at the large guest bedroom before nodding and shutting the door on them.

It wasn't even an hour later until the married couple found themselves lying in bed, just staring at the ceiling as the numbers on the digital clock ticked higher. It was silent until Rory broke the silence with a deep sigh. "What did we do?"

"I don't know but this is.....weird." Amy said slowly, frowning when she said the wrong word that didn't even describe their current situation. "I still think we should've set his room up in the TARDIS. She would've taken care of him pretty well."

"That would've been easier, but remember when The Doctor was telling us he didn't leave his home until he was ninety?" Rory groaned back, he ran his hands through his hair before sinking into the blankets further. "And I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving a child in the TARDIS, even if she was taking care of him."

The redhead nodded and turned on her side, facing her husband and not even a moment later, he did the same. "But did you see the way he was looking at us? It was really weird. It makes me wonder what he was taught about humans, you know? He said that his...brother? Brother, or whoever that 'Brax' person is supposed to be to him, had said we were breakable. That's a weird thing to think about. I mean, a child wanted to know if we were breakable. Doesn't that sound a bit strange to you?"

"Yeah," He nodded, a small frown on his face but he kept his voice low, "but to be fair, he can't remember anything after six years of age. So, we know more than him. That's a first, I know, but we're going to have to act as parents. And we're going to have to keep him from doing...alien things. Last thing we need is Americans kicking in our door to get a kid."

She noded in agreement. "When do you think those two people River was telling about are going to show up? They sound like they actually have an idea of what to do."

"If that's the case, then let's hope soon."

And nothing more was said that night, or until mid-morning being that's when Amy found herself staring into bright green eyes that were a mere two inches from her's. She shot up with a small 'eep' of shock. Rory didn't even move next to her, he did sleep like the dead after all. The Doctor blinked up at her, eyes wide at her terror but he had a very childish smile on his round face. 

"What are you doing up so early?" Amy yawned as she placed her feet on the floor. "I figured you still be asleep, I mean it's only-what?-nine in the morning."

He blinked. "I didn't go to sleep though. I only need four hours every forty eight hours. I know how much your species has to sleep so I decided to remain quiet. So, I fixed your microwave."

"It wasn't broken?"

"It wasn't?" The child blinked. 

Amy sighed and let out a small smile before she started laughing. He gave a small smile, but seemed shocked when she picked him up and had one arm hooked under his legs. She exited the bedroom quietly before making her way downstairs, only to blink in shock when she found the kitchen in tip top shape with no hint that he had been tinkering the night prior, unlike his older self who would leave a mess for three days and when someone would clean it up, he'd complain that he was just about to finish it. 

She glanced at her microwave and saw that it was now touchscreen, but for some reason, she didn't feel like putting anything in there. Be it woman's intuition or not. She set the boy on the counter as she plucked the kettle from the back burner. In well practiced movements, she quickly filled it with water before setting in on the front burner before switching it on. 

She swiveled to face the child, coming to rest her elbows on the counter as he turned towards her. Amy let loose a smile, "So, what do you want to do today, Mr. Time Tot?"

He frowned at the nickname, but answered simply, "I don't know. I've never been away from Gallifrey."

And her eyes widened slightly. It was strange hearing The Doctor, a man known for travelling everywhere, say he'd never been anywhere. She swallowed, hoping he wouldn't ask about going home, she didn't know how to avoid the subject about how his world had been destroyed during a war...by him nonetheless. 

Amy suddenly got an idea and she smiled. "So, why don't you tell me about Gallifrey? I've never seen it, but I'd love to know what it's like. My friend told me some stuff about it, but he decided to be a twat and not elaborate."

"There's too much to tell you..." he frowned sadly but he perked up when an idea sprang into his mind, "but I can  _show_ you."

She didn't have time to react before his small hands reached for her temples, and when his fingertips made contact, she found herself slipping away in a blur of colors.

_The wind was blowing cold from the North, biting into her skin but she didn't feel the need to shudder. Knee-high scarlet grass brushed against her legs in the frenzy caused by the breeze, but she stared out among the world of scarlet to find two shapes, both only coming up to her waist, running past her. And she realized that she was seeing one of The Doctor's memories, and to say the least, she felt like she was violating something._

_"Come on Theta!" Another voice cried out as a black haired boy slowed down in front of her, allowing the slower blonde to catch up. "It's been ages since we've been allowed out! And we don't have a lot of time left to be free until we have to go to the academy."_

_Amy blinked in shock as the child otherwise known as Theta jogged up the other, slightly taller, boy. He was breathing heavy, but his smile said that he had enjoyed the running, despite not being able to keep up. "Hmn? I thought you were excited about going to the academy, Koschei."_

_Koschei flopped onto the red grass, Theta following suit, and both of their gazes traveled upwards. The black haired boy nodded, "Yeah, but I just want to be up there, you know? Running among the stars, not caring about what the Council-or Rassilon forbid-my mother, thinks. I'm excited, yeah, but I just wish we weren't so...so..."_

_"Secluded?"_

_"Yeah, that."_

_"I don't think the idea is that bad. We're the noble figures of all space and time! We fight against the Daleks and keep the laws of time sacred." Theta proclaimed. "But, travelling doesn't sound that bad. I want to experience, not learn out of a textbook. There's only so much writing can teach us, you know?"_

_Koschei nodded firmly. He pointed upwards as the red sky began to darken considerably, the first lights of the stars above beginning to glow to life. "Yeah, but who knows? One day we could travel together! Seeing, learning, saving!" He rolled over onto his stomach, meeting his friend's gaze. "Doesn't that sound nice?"_

_Theta nodded. "That sounds amazing."_

_And then, the silver leaves of the trees blew from their branches and clouded Amy's vision, until she heard high-pitched screaming._

Amy broke away suddenly, eyes wide as the sound of Kettle screeching. Theta cocked his head to the side in confusion at her panic, but brushed it off as she moved the kettle away from the burner and switched off the heat. A few minutes later, when the two were both sitting with cups of steaming tea, not saying a word.

"So, who is Koschei?"

"My best friend." He answered between his drinks of over-sugared tea. "But, I wonder what he's doing now, since I'm here."

Amy said nothing as he heart clenched. She knew right away she wouldn't have the heart to tell him he was dead, even if the child found out about The Time War. No one deserved to live with that knowledge.

* * *

 

It was mid-afternoon by the time Amy had gotten out of her pajamas, but even though she had been upstairs for the longer side of ten minutes, she was surprised to find Rory and The Doctor sitting across from one another, eyes narrowed in concentration as they carefully moved their chess pieces. The Girl Who Waited blinked, she had never learned to play, despite her boys's many attempts to her to learn. She just simply leaned against the railing, eyes watching them until a few minutes later when The Doctor moved his queen and quietly said, "Checkmate."

Rory smiled wide. "That was amazing! I've never seen anyone beat me so quickly, not that I'm a master at chess or anything, but it usually it a fair fight. How'd you get so good?"

"The Time Lords invented chess." The Doctor beamed. Amy blinked, that was the first time she had seem him smile. "It practically a second language."

"Looks like you'll have to teach me some tricks then." Rory laughed and the boy nodded. 

It was strange, everything seemed almost calm and serene, practically normal. They seemed like a regular family of three, minus the fact the child was a psychic alien, but some facts could be looked over fairly easily. She stepped down the stairs, neither of the other two looking at her as they started another game of chess. She crossed the kitchen into the dining room and reached for her laptop. And when she opened it, she found a few notifications on her blog, two follows, and one was a question.

_"Hey, this blog is brilliant! It's really helped me a lot, but I'm having the issue with writing children. Any ideas or tips?"_

She responded by simply shutting her laptop. She couldn't tell if it was simply ironic or the universe telling her to start writing again, but either way she decided that she'd answer it later. She reached into the cupboard beside the fridge and pulled out a bag of pretzels, but before she could even open them, the doorbell rang. 

Amy shrugged and walked out of the kitchen, the same time Rory and The Doctor reached the front door. Her husband reached for the doorknob, and opened it slowly. Their eyes snapped to the figure standing there. He was tall, brown hair short and tidy while his trenchcoat almost touched the floor. 

"Hello~!" He greeted with a friendly smile as he pulled an ID from his jacket. "Jack Harkness, Torchwood member. A lovely friend of mine called River Song told me about this house. Are you Amelia Pond and Rory Williams?"

Rory nodded. "Yes, yes we are. Can we help you?"

"Ah, where's the Doctor?" Jack asked with a smile. "I heard that he's been-oh wait, is he the kid hiding behind you?"

Amy glanced at the boy, her brow furrowing at the way he hid behind Rory with ease. She forced herself not to smile, thinking about how a few short weeks ago, they would've been hiding behind him. Oh, how the tables can turn. Rory took a step to the side, revealing the child and Jack put on an even friendlier smile, if that was possible, as he knelt down to the boy's height.

He held out a large hand. "Hello, name's Jack Harkness."

The Doctor blinked, shaking it once before quickly letting go. Amy and Rory watched the transaction carefully, until they froze in shock as the boy said one thing. "I didn't know there were other non-humans here..."


	3. Chapter 3

It was strange seeing the way the Time Lord warmed up to Jack the second Amy and Rory dragged him into their house by the lapels of his jacket. This, of course happened after they saw him nod in agreement to the Doctor's testament of him being 'not human'. So it wasn't even ten minutes later when the two humans, the alien child, and the very human-like non-human were sitting in the living room, humans on one side and the nons on the other.

"So, let me get this straight," Rory began with his hands steepled in very Sherlock Holmes-esque way as he addressed Jack, "you're not human? You look it, though."

"So does he," Jack grinned as he tossed his head in the direction of the child who sat at his side, "but, I  _am_ human but in a very complicated way. I can't die, you see? You can shoot me in the face and I'll be back up in a minute, it's all rather cliche but hey, I get to get all the guys and gals I like from any time period."

Amy shrugged at his 'guys and gals' remark but wasted no time in asking, "You travelled with the Doctor, right? So, humour us. What was it like?"

Jack blinked, raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth a few times before shutting it soon after. It was nearly two minutes later before he finally replied to her question, "It was very  _refreshing_. I used to be a conman but after I picked up one of the Doctor's other companions from a blimp in World War Two and fought off some un-dead children, we travelled together. It was the best time I've ever had...but then it ended too soon. Next time I saw him, he was a new man and now he's an even newer man."

The married couple cast a glance at one another with wide eyes. Sure, they had seen their daughter regenerate into the form she wore now, but thinking that their childish looking friend had a different face was still strange. Rory blinked but continued on, "You said he had another companion. Who were they?"

"Rose Tyler." Jack said, his usual smile dropping as he sobered. "She traveled with him before I did, hell, she was one of the reasons I joined their Team TARDIS. She was a fantastic woman, but I didn't love her, I could have...it would have been easy to, but I didn't."

"Why?"

"Because he did." Jack replied in return. "He was a different man then, but by the Gods, I knew love when I saw it. I know he's married to River  _now_ , but back then, he would have done anything for her...but...she was trapped in another universe. They can't see one another again."

Amy glanced at the child with wide eyes and slightly trembling. He was just staring up as Jack with wide eyes as he talked about this man called 'The Doctor' even though he had no clue that this supposed hero was actually him. There was someone else? He never told them...oh god, all the times she called him forever alone when he made more Space Gandalf joke. She swallowed, how many people had he lost before them? She knew his planet was gone...but she never stopped to think about his children, his family, his wife. Not until now. Amy wanted to change the subject quickly, she was starting to feel sick. 

"How did you get to be immortal?"

"Long story short, heart of the TARDIS." Jack said with a shrug, but in a manner of ten seconds he put on a large smile. "Anyway, I wanted to know if you'd be interested in taking a trip up to Cardiff to see Torchwood. Don't worry, we don't bite non-threats."

Rory furrowed his brow and rolled his eyes, "We just met you not even twenty minutes ago and you expect us to go take a visit to your base? That sounds like something that would get us one of those American Crime Shows."

"Oh, well you'll find I'm very  _straight forward_." Jack said with a wink and wide smile. "But, if you'd like, we could all go out for ice cream or something. Besides, I doubt that this squirt," he ruffled Theta's hair and in return, the child giggled, "has ever had a human frozen delicacy."

The married couple glanced at one another, blinked once, twice, shrugged simultaneously before nodding. Amy gave a smile, "Doesn't sound like a bad idea."

* * *

 

And if definitely, absolutely, was a horrible idea.

First of all, it was early Sunday morning and  _nothing_ was open yet. They had walked through their own neighborhood and were at least half way through the second one with no luck. They had passed at least ten parlors, all bearing the horrid 'closed' sign in red letters. Amy at this point was hanging off of her husband's shoulders with an utterly exasperated face while Theta held on tightly to Rory's fingers with his small hand. 

"So...maybe this was a bit of stretch." Jack laughed to himself as he scratched the back of his head, "They're usually open this early in Cardiff. Ianto and I always go on Sundays before Owen is over his hangover."

Amy tossed her head back, red hair glowing in the sun as she groaned loudly, "Ya think? We've been walking for ages. Ages!"

"Actually," Theta piped in, a slightly childish smile cracking on his face, "we've been walking for forty-three minutes and seventeen point two seconds."

And in return, Amy tossed her head back and let out a groan. Jack and Rory started laughing while The Doctor just blinked in confusion. Didn't humans like being exact? Theta followed after the humans, not really paying attention to their roundabout conversation on where an open Ice Cream parlor was. He still didn't know what this 'Ice Cream' was, but the more Jack told him about it, the more he wanted to try it. 

He glanced upwards at the cloudless sky, green eyes searching for something overhead but finding nothing. His small smile was wiped away the farther he cast out his telepathic abilities. His mother had always told him that no matter how far he was from Gallifrey, he could always cast out his psychic senses and find them. It was sort of a homing beacon for all Time Lords, a simple reminder that they weren't alone, if you will. 

Theta frowned slightly, no matter how far he casted out his senses, he couldn't feel another Time Lord. Was he not strong enough? Where were they? A whole planet couldn't just vanish, it was impossible! He cast his eyes downward, now that he was thinking about it, he didn't remember ever leaving Gallifrey...so how-no, _why_ -was he here of all places? His older brother Brax had told him all about Earth from his own studies,  _"Earth is a barely functioning planet according to our standards, their species is just leaving their caves and won't ever see space travel for centuries, time travel for double that. They're really breakable when you think about it.",_ he could still heard that specific monologue in his head. 

"What's wrong buddy?" Jack asked him suddenly as he picked up his small body and gave it a perch on his broad shoulders. "You're being pretty quiet.

 _I'm alone, I have no idea how I got here and who any of you people are but for some reason, something is telling me I can trust you. Where are my friends and family? Where are the Time Lords?_ "Nothing, I'm just a bit tired..."

"That's fine," Jack said with a grin as he sauntered down the street after the complaining ginger and utterly exasperated blonde with the Time Lord on his shoulder, "I'll give you a ride."

The two shared a smile...but that didn't stop him from glancing upwards once more as a bird sailed overhead. A small shudder pricked down his spine as he cast out another signal, a sense of dread numbing him when he found nothing. But there was an echo in his head not even a moment later, a single thought that was like a tidal wave and made him forget where he was and who he was for a single moment. It was like getting splashed with cold water but, it was gone not even a minute later when Jack let out an over zealous cheer as they found an Ice Cream Parlor with the words 'Open' glowing like a beacon in the window. 

He let out a small smile when Jack set him on the sidewalk so they could go inside, but even as he went inside, he could still feel the small thought fading, but it was still there. He swallowed in a slightly nervous manner as he remembered why Time Lords hated that one thought, that one word.

**_Exterminate._ **

* * *

"So then, I wake up with my executioners the next morning and then one of them just rolls over and says, 'After that, I'm giving twenty minutes to leave before I go through the execution.". But then I'm all like, 'But you're wearing my trousers!' and long story short, I had to run through a royal coronation with no pants trousers on. On the bright side though, the King was giving me a definite thumbs up." 

Amy collapsed back in her chair as she cackled at Jack's story. Rory had a hand covering his mouth as his cheeks were practically scarlet with laughter while The Doctor just scooped another spoonful of some unearthly Ice Cream flavor mixture into his mouth. Amy tossed her head back, "So you're definitely not joking? You really woke up with your executioners?"

Jack nodded. "Yep. They're a lovely couple, they still send me Christmas cards every year, even though I'm ninety percent sure they can't time travel."

"Probably The Doctor being their mailman." Rory chuckled. 

"Yeah, probably." Jack laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised. So, Theta, how are you liking your first taste of human delicacy?"

The child nodded and smile, only frowning when Amy was nice enough to wipe some stray ice cream from his face with a napkin. "It's really good. I can't wait to tell Koschei about this stuff! He'll definitely want to eat a whole bunch...Rani would too. Brax definitely!"

The boy didn't see the way Jack cringed at every utterance at a Time Lord name, but when Theta looked up again, the tight smile was still there but those green eyes weren't on Jack's face anymore. They were on something behind him. Now, all of his years at Torchwood were having a small effect on him, and the small effect was all the times he had his spine completely torn out by a rabid Weevile. He shuddered at the thought, but turned around anyway.

"Mind if I sit with you?" A familiar woman asked suddenly, a cup full of strawberry ice cream in her hand. "I just flew in from the states and didn't expect to find my favorite captain and doctor here."

Amy and Rory watched in a shocked fashion as Jack pulled out a chair with a large smile, "Well, I'd absolutely love it if you'd join us Ms. Martha Jones." 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

Amy blinked in shock as Martha Jones-yes, _the_ Martha Jones-sat down at their table. Both of the Doctor's former companions exchanged greetings while the married couple only exchanged a shocked look. Of course they knew about The Doctor's other companions, Kate had made sure of that being she wanted them to "know what they were getting into", as if they already didn't. So, they had read from Susan Foreman, to Sarah Jane Smith, to Rose Tyler and Martha Jones, then to Donna Noble. They had learned a lot about their time travelling friend (and son-in-law, but that was still really, _really_ weird to consider) from those files, but they both knew UNIT's files were nowhere near complete. 

"Hello, my name's Martha, Martha Jones." The other woman greeted, extending her free hand towards Amy and Rory, who both took turns shaking it. "I hear you're The Doctor's new companions."

"Yep." Amy nodded. "He landed in my garden and I picked up Rory for the ride."

Martha gave a wide smile and a laugh. "Oh, my hospital just got teleported to the moon. I didn't even get a day's leave for that little event, but I did get all of time and space for a bit. Totally worth it, you know?"

Jack smiled. "And I just followed him around after we left WWII. He couldn't get rid of me after that, we were practically stuck like glue!"

There was exchanged laughter but after a few moments, Martha's gaze slowly shifted towards the only child at the table. Said child was finishing his ice cream and kicking his legs under the table being they were nowhere close to touching the floor. A tender smile broke across her face, "So, you must be the kid I've been hearing so much about."

Theta looked upwards, green eyes staring at the newcomer. He pursed his lips for a second but eventually nodded. "Yep, I'm Theta Sigma!"

"Well," Martha grinned, "it is very nice to meet you."

And then, just like that, he went back to silence and eating his frozen delicacy. Martha's smile dropped a few moments after. She shook her head before returning her attention to the others. "So, what's The Doctor like? This version I mean, mine was spikey hair, wild eyes and paper thin."

"Tall, basically a kid. Just imagine you know who completely grown and in the same outfit and then there you go!" Amy rambled off. "I've seen the pictures from his other versions. His fashion sense didn't get better with age...sadly."

Martha shivered. "I agree. I'm never going to get the image of that huge scarf out of my mind."

"The rainbow attire." Jack commented, "That was downright painful to see."

Amy grimaced. "The question mark umbrella. Can't forget that one."

"How could you?" Rory piped up with a laugh. "Sheesh, I'm sure his species are The Lords of Time and Utterly Rubbish Fashion Sense."

The table exploded into laughter, but it only multiplied when the only Time Lord at the table gave out an outraged cry of _"Hey!"._ It lasted that way for a minute or two, or just enough time for Theta to finish his ice cream and throw it away. When he sat back down on his chair, the table was still in chuckles and smiles but the laughter had pretty much stopped. 

Marth was the first to speak, but the smile still was present. "I just got back from New York, but when I was there and got the message from River Song, she said something else. I didn't know what it meant, so I decided to see if you guys knew."

Jack blinked, "Okay, hit us up!"

"She called me on the TARDIS phone, so of course I knew it was an emergency...but she said 'If Mary Poppins approaches you, whatever you do, don't say something nice.'. I don't know what she was talking about. There was nothing in the UNIT records about someone dressed up as a fictional nanny, so I figured I'd ask you."

The married couple shared a look, shrugged and then shook their heads, never missing a beat or going out of sync with the other. Jack just tapped his chin one, twice and then threw up his hands in a defeated manner. He sighed, "I don't know what that means. River didn't tell me anything extra besides that whole 'My parents are married, break up their marriage and I will find a way to kill you.' schtick. So, same old, same old."

Rory decided to believe that utterly proud smile Jack wore. Instead, Amy decided to go out on a limb and say, "Maybe it has something to do with his de-aging...or something like that. Maybe an invasion. Who knows? It's aliens, it always is."

Jack smile dropped and instantly his usually warm and accepting face turned into something dark and foreboding. "Maybe it's _him_." 

"He's dead." Martha had cut him off before he could say another sentence. "He was shot. There's no way he's coming back. The Doctor stopped him."

"He came back before, right before our version died. I read the report and heard the story that Wilf himself told. So, it is possible."

"He was sucked right back into the war. You've heard The Doctor talk about it, there's no way to get out."

"And if he is back?"

"Then we will stop him. End. Of. Story."

Amy coughed, seeing it was the only way to break up their conversation. "Who is this 'he' person you keep talking about?"

Martha and Jack shared a look, glanced at the Tiny Time Lord before, at the same time, said "We'll tell you later. It's a long story."

And that was it. They descended back into silence, allowing for everyone to finish their frozen delicacies before Rory finally smacked his hands on the table and stood. His chair scraped against the linoleum and that caused a few of them to jump. "I think it's time to get this show on the road. The other customers have not stopped staring at us for a while now and I'm beginning to think that they think we're crazy."

Jack nodded. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

So, all of them moved towards the door, bidding their goodbyes and thanks to the workers before heading out into the sunlight. Amy stared upwards, brow furrowing at the grey overcast. She frowned deeply when she saw dark clouds rolling in. "Is it supposed to rain?"

"Already ahead of you." Martha replied quickly, waving her smartphone in front of their faces. "Severe thunderstorms at three."

Rory blinked. "And it is currently three. Great. We should probably get going before it begins to rain."

Martha nodded but yawned instead of speaking. After a few moments, she finally spoke up, "I'm going to head back to my hotel. I'm suffering from Jet Lag and I really want to take a nap before Kate Stewart calls me in. So, I'll be seeing you around."

"I'll walk you there then," Jack offered instantly, even though his voice gave no room for arguments, "besides, one of the Military Leaders of UNIT wanted me to visit him. Apparently he has a problem with the way I've been running Torchwood, I'll show him who's boss."

"You two do that then," Amy laughed, taking Theta's hand, "we'll head home. Rain makes my hair frizz out so much it looks like I've tried every drug in the world."

Jack and Martha laughed but turned away, waving as they did so. Amy and Rory watched them until they turned the corner. Theta looked skyward as thunder cracked into existence. Amy winced and Rory sighed, "It's going to start any time."

"Don't say that." Amy whined as she turned around, beginning to walk them down the opposite way of the sidewalk. "You're always right about things like that. It's freaking creepy."

Theta took this moment to speak up, "Three..."

"Huh?"

"Two..."

"Oh no, no please."

"One."

And then lightning cracked across the sky and rain began to pelt downwards. Silver sheets of water tumbled from the clouds as the group of three started to sprint down the sidewalk, Theta following more slowly due to his tiny legs but they all managed to stay together.

Amy's terrified screeching followed them all the way down the street.

* * *

 

They came to a stop in bus stop shelter, all of them panting and completely drenched from head to toe. Rory looked upward, rainwater dripping from his nose. "The glass will stop the rain for a little bit. We can catch our breath before going back out there."

"We have to go back out there?" Amy groaned, "You can't be serious. Can't we hail a cab?"

"Not on a main road." Was all he replied. "We can make it home in fifteen minutes if we keep running. It won't be that bad. I promise."

"I'm getting a bubble bath out of this." Amy growled out.

"Fine."

Theta looked up and outside, he was panting but he was still buzzing with energy. "This is fun! Koschei and I would play in the rain all the time before we were called inside. I think he'd love this."

Rory bit his tongue at the comment, instantly remembering the whole 'I'm the last of my species' speech Theta's older version had said a lot. He swallowed but his wife managed to smile through the comment and say, "Well, when you get back, you can tell him all about it."

Theta nodded as Rory looked at the three of them. "Are you guys ready to run?"

Their answers were nothing but nods in agreement before they started running again. 

It was nearly impossible to see with the amount of cold rain drenching their front sides, hell, they could barely hear the cars over the sound of thunder and wind. They crossed the street quickly, shoes becoming practically submerged at the amount of water that had already pooled in the gutter. They paused under an awning, finding it to be the only suitable thing to block the rain. 

"The storm is getting worse." Amy hissed. "At this rate, we'll drown before we even get home."

Rory nodded. "I know. Where's Theta?"

"I thought you had him."

And both of their stomachs dropped in horror.

* * *

 

Theta had to agree, it was nearly impossible to get through this storm. Sure, Gallifrey had its fair share of horrible weather, but he had always been inside for the storm or at least in the Capital a few times. So this storm was the biggest thing he'd ever been through...but it had only taken a few minutes for him to realize that Amy and Rory were nowhere to be seen or heard. So, he paused, trying to spot their silhouettes in the rain but found nothing.

"Amy?" He called, a large amount of terror lacing his voice. "Rory? Anyone?!"

There was no answer and he took a step back and felt a feeling of dread and utter hopelessness settle in his hearts. He swallowed. He was alone, on an alien planet, with no one he knew anywhere near him. And to say the least, terrified didn't cover it.

A single memory came back to him, his brother Brax had been showing him the Capital sites but they got separated in a crowd. He had ended up being alone for a long time and when Brax managed to find him, it was already sundown. He had been so scared and swore to himself that he would never be lost again...but now, it was happening all over again. 

He was biting back tears and chills as this point. No, he wasn't going to cry, he wouldn't. He was a Time Lord and they were the strongest species in the galaxy...but, what's so good about being alone? Easy, nothing. And right now, he felt like the only one of his entire species and he hated it. He wanted to go back home and see Koschei, his family, what little friends he had, all again. He never wanted to leave Gallifrey again at this point. 

Why didn't he remember leaving? What happened to him?

No, better question, what happened to everyone else?

"Excuse me," said a female voice from behind him, "are you lost?"

Theta turned and his green eyes went wide, standing in front of him was a woman dressed in a purple dress and carried an umbrella, that was shielding them both from the rainy onslaught. It took him a second and he nodded. The woman stepped closer, her blue eyes stretching into a soft smile as he extended out her hand. "Well, I'll tell you what, how about you come with me and I'll get you some dry clothes? I think you'd love that at the moment."

It took a second of thinking but eventually, Theta grabbed the woman's hand. His green eyes went wide the second their hands touch because a single jolt cracked up his spine, almost as if he had been tossed in ice water.

He blinked, once, twice and then their eyes met. Without breaking the gaze, he whispered, "Koschei? Is that you?"

They were already beginning to walk down the alley towards an unknown destination before she finally gave off a response to his question. She smiled and nodded. "Oh Theta, I missed you...but, I have to say, on this planet and at this time, I go by Missy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the support! It really means a lot and it really keeps me writing!

**Author's Note:**

> Shameless de-aged fic I've been wanting to write for a while because I thought Amy and Rory should have a chance at raising a child, even if it's their best friend. So, ensue the family fic mixed in with a bunch of adventure.
> 
> I may end up doing something like this for Twelve down the road.


End file.
